Around the world these motors are specified for most industrial uses
such as water treatment, building services, general and food processing
and manufacturing. Product applications include pumps, compressors,
fans and conveyors.

XEMC MOTORS
PROVEN THE WORLD OVER

For the best solutions to your application
challenges, consult with your LE distributor.

To find yours, scan the QR code or visit
www.lt-eng.com/products/find-a-distrbutor.

between 8-15 percent when they proactively realign their network. If it has been a few years since the last check-up, distributors
need to keep in mind that businesses and supply chains evolve
– especially in the rapid, global market of today. Supplier relationships dissolve, or scale up, and the supply chain is affected accordingly. Reexamining your network helps streamline your operations
and cut costs where they have the most impact for the balance
sheet and for the environment.

“Fuel costs can be dramatically impacted through the proper
utilization and design of the supply chain,” says enVista’s Steven J.
Benefield, a Partner in their Supply Chain Solutions department. “Has
a Logistics Network Analysis been considered in the last five years?”
Benefield notes seven areas in which distributors can reduce waste in
their supply chain and operations in the sidebar on page 46.

Transportation

A developing trend in the transportation industry is also helping
to cut costs and emissions by the truckload. “About 85 percent
of what moves in the U.S. is moving in a truck,” says Thompson –
but that is not always the most efficient way to get the job done.
While air freight is often too expensive, and shipping by water
fairly impractical when it comes to domestic shipments, shipping
by train is a good alternative for companies to consider.

According to the Intermodal Association of North America
(IANA), domestic container volume continued to rise steadily,
with intermodal traffic rising by 2. 4 percent in the second quarter
of 2013. Intermodal transportation – or transportation that uses
both rail and truck to get to the destination – can save distributors
money and offer a more sustainable option.

“Shipping by train incurs about one-third fewer emissions than
a truck,” says Thompson. “What we are seeing today is that companies that never thought of rail or intermodal transportation are
looking at it today.” There are three majors reasons that this trend
is emerging, says Thompson: rail is cheaper, and it is 66 percent
greener to move goods by rail whenever possible. Also, companies
are becoming concerned that should the economy show a burst of
activity in the near future, there will not be enough trucking volume to keep up with the demand. They are looking at intermodal
transportation now as a means of risk mitigation.

The Bottom Line

While many companies today are touting a green image in orderto connect with the customer, there is a lot of actual value to behad in striving toward a more sustainable operational standard.While company culture is increasingly important, Thompson notesthat “most companies – rather, the vast majority – aren’t going tobe doing these things unless there is some kind of return.”In addition to making a positive environmental impact, goinggreen might just put distributors further in the black.